A colleague came running to my room to say that, one of the four children who came for the play group has already got into the water pool. There was a prolonged discussion among us whether parents and children would be comfortable with water play. So it was with hesitation we included this in the play group activities. The other three children avoided the water play with some exception in between. Their parents attributed this to their 'fear' of water.
On the evening of my surgery two weeks back, I too was overtaken by fear-of anaesthesia, surgical procedure, intubation and ventilatory support, pain, infection, etc. Anna, Amy and Arpit, Aswathy and Anandit, who were with me for most of the evening had sensed it and kept asking me, if I was anxious! I was anxious and fearful. That evening Arpit led us in prayer and one statement in his prayer which remained with me since then was, 'Jesus, you told your disciples, 'fear not' but have 'faith'. That instantly lifted a burden from my heart. Not that, fear did not return, but trusting God had become easier. The next day, while welcoming me to the theatre, the anaesthetist said, 'You look relaxed. All will be well'.
Faith is both an exercise and an experience. Fear unsettles the ground of faith. Sometimes we invent reasons to stay fearful or anxious. Anandit mentioned to me this morning, 'believe that you will be well'.
I like and welcome these reminders of God's orientation towards us. A quiet mind and restful spirit are His gifts.
Anna mentioned during our recollection time, 'I have had a sense of peace about your health and well being'. Seeing me on the third day in the ICU, Amy had said, 'You look better than I expected'. The next day when Aswathy came visiting, I was reading the morning news paper and she said,'You look well'.
We have a responsibility to build the faith of those who go through difficult times so that it becomes a trusting experience for them.
God is always immanent; sometimes we need to interpret this reality, by our gestures of affirmation and communication.
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
With thoughts and prayers for your recovery, MC Uncle. From Anisha, Prashant and the Siromoneys
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